Tv Productions

MGM/UA Communications, which is restructuring under new management, promoted veteran television producer David Gerber to chairman and chief executive of its new Television Productions Group. He will also be nominated to the firm's board. Gerber, who previously was president of MGM/UA Television Productions, will be responsible for network TV productions, first-run TV production, cable programming and international co-productions.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies mistakenly shot two hostages, killing one, earlier this week as the men fled a knife-wielding captor in West Hollywood, officials said Thursday. John Winkler, a 30-year-old TV production assistant who had recently arrived from Washington state to pursue a career in entertainment, was hit once in the chest when three deputies opened fire on him Monday night at an apartment complex, officials said in a statement. UPDATES: Death toll rises in deadly bus crash He died at a local hospital.

Hooray for Canada. And Texas, North Carolina, Arkansas, Wyoming, Florida, Illinois and all the other places that want to be the next Hollywood. The names may not sound glamorous and there are no "Hooray for Hollywood" songs penned for them yet. But these and other areas where it is cheaper to make films and television shows are increasingly siphoning off movie and television business from Southern California to the tune of about $1 billion a year, according to state officials.

SACRAMENTO - Proposed legislation aimed at providing more tax credits to attract so-called runaway movie and television productions back to the industry's birthplace in California won initial approval from a legislative committee Tuesday. The proposal would renew and increase a state tax credit - amounting to as much as $400 million a year - to better compete with generous tax subsidies available in more than 40 states, including New York, Louisiana, New York and Michigan, as well as studios in Canada and Britain.

Anyone who's seen the court scenes in the Emmy-winning television miniseries "Separate But Equal," the pastel neighborhoods in the movie "Edward Scissorhands" or the goofy game shows on Nickelodeon knows the product. That's entertainment--Florida-style. Florida's film, TV and commercial industry totals about $300 million, but state officials are hoping it will grow to the $1-billion level this decade. Industry officials say that goal is attainable, even conservative.

On a typical day, Kun Lee, owner of Bake It Again Sam, prepares 360 bagels and 240 muffins for his famous customer across the street. And that's not counting the scrambled eggs, sandwiches, quesadillas, cookies and specialty order birthday cakes he often serves up to the crews of such television shows as"Pretty Little Liars" and"Shameless. " "They're a big chunk of my business," Lee said. "If it wasn't for them, I would have gone under a long time ago. " Bake It Again Sam is among 1,200 vendors and suppliers in Burbank that provide more than $550 million worth of goods and services each year to one of the city's A-list residents: Warner Bros.Entertainment, the studio behind such movie franchises as "Harry Potter" and "The Dark Knight" and popular TV shows "The Big Bang Theory" and"2 Broke Girls" on CBS. PHOTOS: Hollywood back lot moments In 2010, the studio spent a total of $1.58 billion on products and services from companies across Los Angeles County and paid $2.5 billion in wages and residuals to county residents.

In offices that once housed Google, four computer geeks pursue their quest for a killer mobile app. Their technology incubator, with its angular, modern furniture and shared kitchen and conference rooms, would be recognizable to any Silicon Valley entrepreneur. But this start-up space was found in Silicon Beach. The Santa Monica offices provided the backdrop for "Betas," one of 14 series pilots put into production by Amazon Studios, the production arm of Amazon.com. PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments The show, which will also film at a house in Encino and other locations around L.A., is the latest in a wave of digital productions that have taken off in recent years, as YouTube, Yahoo, AOL, Hulu and others have invested millions of dollars in developing original programming for the Web. Most of the new digital shows are produced locally.

It is true that Ray Middleton played Frank Butler opposite Ethel Merman in the Broadway production of "Annie Get Your Gun." However, John Raitt did not do the national tour with Mary Martin. The actor who played Frank Butler opposite Martin in the national tour was Earl Covert. Raitt played the part in a 1957 revival for the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera and also in the NBC-TV production that year. I played Chief Sitting Bull in the national company tour (1947-48) and also in the 1957 stage and TV productions.

It is true that Ray Middleton played Frank Butler opposite Ethel Merman in the Broadway production of "Annie Get Your Gun." However, John Raitt did not do the national tour with Mary Martin ("Ray Middleton in 'Annie,' " Saturday Letters, July 11)! The actor who played Frank Butler opposite Martin in the national tour was Earl Covert. Raitt played the part in a 1957 revival produced by Edwin Lester for the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera and also in the NBC-TV production that year.

Larry Hagman may have been best known for his role as the delightfully despicable oil man J.R. Ewing on "Dallas," but his six-decade career contained many other memorable moments on screen. After all, the actor -- who died Friday at a Dallas hospital -- appeared in more than 80 TV productions and about 20 films. Although his first TV credits came in 1957 on such now largely forgotten series as "Decoy," "Goodyear Playhouse" and "Studio One in Hollywood," Hagman appeared in the daytime soap opera "The Edge of Night" from 1961 to 1963.

"Ma, sooner or later, there comes a point in a man's life where he's gotta face some facts. And one fact I gotta face is that, whatever it is that women like, I ain't got it. " - Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine) in the 1955 Oscar winner "Marty" On May 24, 1953, NBC's "Goodyear Television Playhouse" aired Paddy Chayefsky's transcendent drama "Marty," starring Rod Steiger as a lonely Bronx butcher who finds love with a shy, plain woman (Nancy Marchand). Running just 51 minutes, the live telecast directed by Delbert Mann became one of the triumphs of the Golden Age of television in the 1950s.

December 16, 2013 | By Daniel Miller, This post has been updated, as indicated below.

Harvey and Bob Weinstein are getting the reunion they've long sought. The brothers' film company, Weinstein Co., has struck a production and distribution deal with Miramax, the iconic firm they founded in 1979 that has been responsible for critical and commercial hits including "Pulp Fiction," "Shakespeare in Love" and "Chicago. " Under terms of the 20-year co-production and co-distribution agreement, the companies will collaborate on a variety of projects that mine Miramax's film library, in addition to developing new content.

Legendary Entertainment is expanding its television production repertoire by acquiring Asylum Entertainment, the firm behind the biographical miniseries "The Kennedys. " Legendary, the entertainment company controlled by film producer and financier Thomas Tull, announced Monday it had completed a deal to buy 100% of Asylum Entertainment, a 10-year-old production firm. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Asylum specializes in unscripted and scripted fare.

Santa Clarita's film business reached a record level in the last fiscal year, fueled by such television shows as "Justified" and "Franklin and Bash. " The suburban northern Los Angeles County city generated 1,069 film days in the year ended June 30, an 18% increase compared to last year's level, which was also a record, the city said. Film and TV productions spent an estimated $25.7 million in the Santa Clarita area during the fiscal year, up 22% from the prior year. "Santa Clarita is one of Hollywood's first choices for location filming, as shown by yet another strong year for location filming,” Mayor Bob Kellar said in a statement. “Filming is a big part of our business community and local economy, supporting high-paying jobs and hundreds of companies involved in the industry.” ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll In March 2012, the City Council approved a three-year extension of the city's Film Incentive Program, which refunds permit fees to locally-based productions, those that film on location four or more times in a year, as well as those that qualified for the state of California's film and television tax credit program. Santa Clarita locations have doubled for many cities around the world, including New York, Washington and Paris.

Despite a near-record number of pilots made here this year, Los Angeles is still struggling to keep television production in town. Out of 186 television pilots this season, 96 were produced in the Los Angeles region, the second-largest annual tally in the city's history, according to a study by FilmL.A., a nonprofit group that handles film permits for the city and county. However, the region continued to see a troubling slide in its share of the overall pilot production pie -- especially in the lucrative category of one-hour dramas -- as New York and rival cities grabbed a larger share of business, the report said.

Hollywood North is going south. That's the fear among many in the once-booming production community in Vancouver, Canada. Although Vancouver still attracts high-profile movies and television shows, including A&E's recently launched "Bates Motel," the city is rapidly losing its perch as one of the industry's busiest production hubs as it faces rising competition from cities in eastern Canada and south of the border. The city that pioneered the use of film incentives now finds itself struggling to compete with emerging rivals offering stronger tax credits and rebates.

Charles Champlin is indeed a master. His interview with Robert Mitchum captured the essence of the actor and provided new insights into Mitchum's personality ("One Icon, Hard-Boiled," Oct. 2). It is refreshing to read about a great guy and a real talent who is not wrapped up in his image--a contrast to most of the so-called stars of today's film and TV productions. Also, the accompanying picture by Bob Carey was perfect. GEORGE MESSEMER Irvine Although he did receive a supporting actor nomination for "The Story of G.I. Joe" (1945)

Tony Scott, who died on Sunday, was primarily known as a feature director, with such films as "Top Gun," "Crimson Tide" and "True Romance" standing out on his lengthy resume. But along with his brother, Ridley, Tony was also a prolific force in TV. Starting in 1997, with a little-seen anthology series based on his debut feature, "The Hunger," Scott served as executive producer on a wide range of projects, including two hit CBS series,"Numb3rs" and"The Good Wife. " PHOTOS: Hollywood reacts to Tony Scott's death While Scott mainly directed high-end action films, his TV productions crossed a wide variety of genres, including thrillers ("The Andromeda Strain," "Coma")

In offices that once housed Google, four computer geeks pursue their quest for a killer mobile app. Their technology incubator, with its angular, modern furniture and shared kitchen and conference rooms, would be recognizable to any Silicon Valley entrepreneur. But this start-up space was found in Silicon Beach. The Santa Monica offices provided the backdrop for "Betas," one of 14 series pilots put into production by Amazon Studios, the production arm of Amazon.com. PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments The show, which will also film at a house in Encino and other locations around L.A., is the latest in a wave of digital productions that have taken off in recent years, as YouTube, Yahoo, AOL, Hulu and others have invested millions of dollars in developing original programming for the Web. Most of the new digital shows are produced locally.

In an effort to kick-start original television production, Tribune Co. has hired Matt Cherniss, a former Fox and Warner Bros. executive, as president of WGN America and head of a newly formed Tribune Studios. Cherniss will be responsible for strategy and day-to-day operations at both properties. He will spearhead efforts to create original content for Tribune's 23 television stations as well as cable channel WGN America. Tribune is seeking to establish a beachhead in Hollywood.